Skilled JCB engineers have been put in focus after helping television personality Guy Martin realise an ambitious plan to create a replica World War One tank to commemorate a special anniversary.

Workers at the digger giant were approached to help create a 30-tonne Mark IV tank in time for the machine to be rolled at the French location where it helped the Allies.

And their efforts will be screened this weekend when the Channel Four documentary Guy Martin’s WW1 Tank is aired.

Producers laid down the challenge to create the machine ahead of a special Armistice Day event in Northern France where it was due to go in display at the site where the Mark IV helped with a breakthrough at the Battle of Cambrai.

Mechanic and motorcycle racer Guy was handed five months to produce an authentic reproduction of the 30-tonne tank from scratch.

Guy with Chris Shenton, of Leek, during the production

He duly turned to JCB for their expertise in engineering – and speed in being able to turn around such a lofty request.

Working from 3D plans staff at JCB’s World HQ used computer design and cutting edge manufacturing techniques to re-create the chassis of the historic machine in just eight weeks.

Charged with bring the past to life was chief engineer Martyn Molsom, of Stone, design engineer Tom Beamish, from Derby and welders Chris Shenton, of Leek, and Chris Brennan from Longton.

Martyn, aged 46, said: “The reproduction of a Mark IV tank from a century ago is a great British manufacturing story and that’s one of the reasons we wanted to get involved in the project. Replicating that innovation in a few weeks was a massive task, but modern techniques and equipment made it a lot easier for us than it would have been back then."

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Fellow welder Chris Brennan, aged 46, added: “It's been an honour and a privilege to work on the tank, be in Cambrai, and have my family with me. It was especially emotional observing a two minute silence and hearing the last post being played.”

Guy paid tribute to the team as the show gets ready to air on Sunday at 8pm. He said: “It is a massive undertaking and JCB was the main reason this was able to happen.

The tank will next head to Norfolk where it will go on display at a museum

“As a challenge to build it, I’d say this is the biggest thing we’ve undertaken. There’s loads of stuff we’ve done – building push bikes to go at 100mph, converting transit vans to do 150mph, but this, I think, is the biggest one. It’s not that we’re restoring them, or modifying them – we’re building an exact replica of a Mark IV Fosters Tank, from scratch.”

The 26ft long and 10ft wide replica tank is due to go to Norfolk Tank Museum, where enthusiasts put the engine together.